Nightlock
by E.M. Hansen
Summary: "She was smarter than we gave her credit for." -Katniss


_**Nightlock**_

_**Hey guys! I do not own the Hunger Games in any way, shape or form.**_

The little hobbit hole I used as a base wasn't as cozy as I had hoped. Wind could still get through the opening, making my teeth clatter every time a gust soared in. I'd laid down some grass in attempt to make it softer, maybe a little warmer. Dirt would often fly into my eyes, momentarily blinding me. Not a good thing anywhere, let alone in the middle of an arena full of people looking to kill me. I had to be ready at any time. Being blind wouldn't help.

Though the hole wasn't very good at protecting me from the increasingly colder nights, it did offer a great source of concealment from the other tributes. It'd worked well so far. Only four of us remained.

Being quick and sneaky was my only skill. I had to admit, it was the best thing I had going for me. The only food I'd eaten so far in the game, were stolen from other tributes, and the only weapons I had were too. Though I was great at hiding, fighting was not my strong suit. Could I stab someone? Sure, but so could any two year old.

If face to face with Cato, he would kill me in a second. Well, no. That's a lie. He would stab me, then leave me to slowly bleed to death. I shivered.

Katniss wasn't much better. I'd seen her hunting a couple times. She was nasty with a bow an arrow, hitting her pray straight in the eye every time. That could easily be me.

Peeta was strong, and good at disguise. Though the disguise couldn't really help him much in a fight, I couldn't help thinking about his strength. One rock to the head, and I was done for.

No, I couldn't let any of them have that satisfaction. I would have to be the Victor. I would have to return home, not a scratch on me, in one complete piece. The best option, to stay in this hole as long as I possibly could, only coming out at the last possible moment for food or water.

Just as the thought popped into my head, my stomach rumbled loudly.

I snatched up my pack, unzipping it and reaching to the bottom, feeling around for the rest of the nuts I had stolen from Clove when she was alive. Only three left. Great. Lucky I still had something left, I gobbled them up.

I would have to come out in the morning.

For now, I would rest. Maybe I would freeze in my sleep. At this point, I didn't care the least bit. I was probably going to die anyways.

I shook myself.

I couldn't think those kind of things. Not now. I'd made it so far, only four of us left. In training, I hadn't had the least bit of a shot. That had been made clear. A lousy five. One of the lowest scores, besides the girl from District 9 and the boy from 6. While the others were throwing knives and spears, I lurked in corners, and listened intently to the simplest of instructors. Yet, I was still here. Alive.

So, I settled down, falling asleep to thoughts of my victor's party.

When I awoke, morning light beamed in through cracks in the roof of my hole. My bones creaked and ached. I stretched my arms out, accidentally hitting a wall, and sending a shower of dirt into my mouth and eyes. I tried to be silent, but coughing was hard to do quietly. After the sensation had gone, I arose out of my hole and out into the forest above.

My eyes quickly adjusted to the new lighting. The crunching of leaves and the whisper of voices was audible from where I stood. They were close by.

"Couldn't you be a little quieter?" I hear Katniss' voice, barely.

After that, I couldn't hear anything more then mumbling and leaves crunching, coming towards me. I dove into a bush, the rustling of the leaves giving me a little fright, scared he'd heard me. Luckily, he hadn't.

I could see him picking bushes off of near by bushes. Quietly, I heard him mimicking to himself _Couldn't you be a little quieter._ He walked away from the little pile he'd been collecting for a moment. Leaving me a clear chance to steal them. Which of course, I did. As I held the berries in cupped hands, I realized something.

Nightlock.

I wasn't going to eat them. I was just going to leave them for him, he could die from such an idiot mistake. But then, a thought popped into my head.

_You have no chance Finch. You'll never make it out alive. If you're lucky, Cato will let you choose which way he kills, sword or knife. Pick sword, one stab and it's over. It takes a few stabs to really kill someone with a knife._

Before opposing thoughts could stop me, I put a berry into my mouth. One wasn't enough to kill you. A second later, my hands were empty.

A few short moments later, a lay on the ground, eyes fluttering closed.


End file.
